Package or container spacer block



' April 14,1942. RI 2,279,522

PACKAGE OR CONTAINER SPACER BLOCK Filed March 13, 1941 Patented Apr. 14, 1942 UNITED STATE PACKAGE OR CONTAINER'SPACER BLOCK Stanley Price, La Grange, 111., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 13, 1941, Serial No. 383,103

c Claims. (01. 105-369) This invention relates to package or container spacer blocks and more particularly to demountable spacing blocks for insertion between containers in a carrier to permit removal of tightened containers resulting from shifting during transit.

An object of this invention is the provision of a practical and inexpensive demountable spacing block which may be readily inserted between containers in a carrier and removed with great ease to facilitate the removalof the containers from the carrier after the containers have shifted and tightened up during transit.

In attaining this object, in one embodiment of the invention, designed for use between rows of containers loaded into freight cars, there is provided a demountable spacing block comprising an assemblage of abutting wedge-like members having their abutting faces so inclined that the members, when assembled, form a block having parallel faces opposite the inclined faces and a tensioned band extending around the assemblage of members longitudinally thereof. In use, the banded blocks are freely inserted in a suitable space at the car door areas provided between rows of containers extending from opposite ends of the car. To release the blocks at the end of the car trip, the band is severed, whereupon the intermediate wedge-like member may be readily removed, and this permits the free removal of the other wedge-like members,

and thus sufficient space is provided to manipulate the containers for their removal from the car.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be understood by referring to the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentary plan sectional view of a freight car loaded with containers showing the demountable spacing blocks embodying the features of this invention applied between the ends of rows of containers extending from opposite ends of the car;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of Fig.

Fig. 3 is a vertical view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the demountable spacing block of this invention, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Fig.3, one embodiment of the invention, indicated in general at [0, is shown applied to the spacing of rows of containers ll loaded into a freight car 12 through opposite side doors l3. Theparticular type of container ll illustrated is constructed with a series of cleats l4 fixed to opposite sides and, in placing the containers in the car, they are preferably arranged so that the cleats are disposed vertically and extend transversely of the car. I

The demiountable spacing block In is constructed as simply and. inexpensively as possible, consistent with the particular use to which it is to be applied, and, in the 'use above described, it may be constructed from a goodquality of pine wood. Referring to Figs. 3' and 4, the block 10 comprises three tapered or Wedgelike strip members l1, l8 and 19 of greater length than width and of substantially the same area upon their'longitudinal faces. The two outer members 11 and I8 are identical in shape and each is tapered from one end to the other to provide an inclined longitudinal face 20 at one side only. The intermediate member I9 is also tapered from one end to the other toprovide opposite similarly inclined longitudinal side faces 2|. The inclination of the facesZB of the outer members l1 and I8 is similar to the inclination,

of the opposite faces of the intermediate member l9, so that when the three members are correctly assembled with their inclined faces abutted (Fig. 3), they form a rectangularly shaped block having parallel outer longitudinal faces 24. In order to hold the wedge-like members l1, l8 and I9 together as a unit, a metal strap or band 25 is extended longitudinally around the assembled members, the band being applied under tension and retained in a well-known manner by a crimlped sleeve 26, which is located adjacent the upper end of the block to, which is that end thereof where thewide end of the member I9 is located, and the block, when in use as a spacer, is always placed with this end of the member l9 upwards.

In using the demountable banded spacing blocks ID in one application thereof, the freight carlZ, referring to Fig. 1, is loaded with containers ll extending from each end of the car in rows toward the doors l3 thereof with the container cleats M in the particular container illustrated disposed vertically and extending transversely of the car. This loading arrangement will leave a space 21 (Fig. 2)..across the car at the doors l3, which should be great enough to, at least, receive the spacing blocks I0. vIf the space 21 between the opposed rows l ft-i e de temahi h ate thei of containers H is too great, it may be closed up sufficiently by suitable wooden strips (not shown) to provide a space that will permit the spacing blocks ID to be freely inserted between the opposed containers. As shown, two spacing blocks are inserted between the opposed spaced containers ll, one in each of the spaces between the vertical cleats l4, and the blocks [0 are of such length that they extend-above the tops of the containersto facilitate their removal. By inserting the spacing blocks [0 in the spaces between the cleats I4, the blocks are effectively prevented from falling or dropping -toward-the -car floor to a position where it would be diifcult to reach them for removal.

During transit, due to starting-and stopping of the freight car l2, the rows of containersl f are constantly shifting longitudinally of;the cargon e way or the other and at the end of the trip, a ll space between the containers themselves,as well e he weeh h w ehie h r L nd ;i e. hei htah ,sne he rblo k iiqs-ihemh el se h t ht 17 ,uhleh .izh ti hienedre h aih r U aeh re h Q? Q ez ;-9 zih qhlqel J iseh hi ther ft tw de c-h a herhbe 9 m fh easi lv Qi ledsed from i weqeiheielati h be ween th v-we .hkemem ers "ha l yiap in i with sham- .me e inst nce e i a zshhehl man e After the removal of the memhersel il the memvhers an ;l er :-easil ;r m ves s n mbetw th on ainer .1 I

an thu l ie h spac i v. eleesed eehta er tew r th iea r l erswA; 1 09. fie .f l mlsi th sp cin h e i 19 vth s i vent o i sh w ih Bi is rsimha ih :I. P$ o ha rsho h la 4 excep ha th -u p e .e a in rmedia wed elike .cmemh .0 ezsten fo h suit b .zd siane .=eh.ov

h ee r pe s ihs .--eh, s o th ente -wwede rl h ,memher zfl end :E nne finthehnp end e th m m e 3 i ahe eh 133 whi h ex end to th ri e-he 9 th .ue e l ends. .o r-themem r 3 r nd [1 for l, Y I! .:a rreiai h l hd 13.4, e ete hu prev dih lt e spaeed ex ension 'reb vei ememhex l she l-i2- 11 ther rnova o s zth imemhe lifl after the .eu tin to ihebandj t exieh eh 1.3 191 th m mbe as provide hand e .fe manuall d 1ode. ie ith emember om it Wesieih lrela ie hetw enih wedg .rlih cme h er an 132 t u hp reouiri g th 1 :us e ;h.hmh e 1. :Q he vmeans to r mov th sam s hl hqh h th Jeev- ;sie. e bed an llust a ed emb diment e ithe-demehh ah tspaein z eeks empr s thre g oe eratinelwes eevlik lmemb rs, i

it is t h :i hde s hed l hat less and/e mo e than thre membe s ma h used and that :the i l nat n ;eith l hnttih fa e O LIh JmmD IS ma var Wid om t at e 5 ong-re :the ente lon t di al ee o th edemouniahlehlock a ilhs en iall 'na e le a Whi h ld m luht b s a in blocks leftnis invention have beendisclosed -;as; app1ie d .to a sp ci arrahee eh o spacin a vparticularmuse on ain h e ei hta-n tis, of.eou s ,.un-

d r hdv he i ma (hav o h an i at o s and h m difi at ons maybe madelwithout depa h ro h seepee zhh .i veh iehya flefined-i t ehpe eled elehh What is claimedis:

assemblage of abutting tapered strip members,

one of said members having opposite inclined longitudinalfaces, a member at each side thereof, each of said latter members having an inclined longitudinal "face abutting an inclined -a c e of said firstmember, said latter members having parallel outer faces opposite the inclined faces ;for :engag ing opposed sides of the containers, and means for retaining the members together.

-:A ld me htable spacin lbieek fo t s aci alltielesbn.eehiaihersi ar a-men eomp r iheta assemb a ;o :wedee-J h membe hav n zinel- ,e. i n shuttin .h ee an r a a l Ne te ifs ve ppe it h i cl ned e f I en a in opposed sides of the containers, an intermediate embe of t hsseihblag ha i -l e wideshe u pe mos -when th assembla :i in e ted sh tween th l hhta er and a re ainin :band e tend n a oun th as emhlae -of mem e i lens ema l-1y: thereof L'QJA cdem uht bl iseae he block fo s acin articles or cont n ers in ;a carrier comprising thre co p atin wed es-l k lmenibers, m of :th mem er hav n op osed nc ined @faeesv ranged between th othe :two membe s, each o s id .latte a memb r (havin a inc ined 'fa abutt .a 4 incl ned fa o s id ifi s zmem e said :tw a,tt t=member hane para l enter :faee e osite thei inelin diac s fer-enga in zohne e as des .e h conta ners and :means for F aiIiiie th 1-.memleers -to eth dem nn abl uspae he -.b1.eek r .s.p e c'ahti les o emtiners :i a c rrie com-p sin asse bla e of s uttin tape ed strip membe a r n e v r i ally lrhetwe n and extendin abov 11 11 conta ners, said m m rs hav ine i-ne :inn r uah ttin szfaee and lparaliel ou er :ia es :QpDDSite th inelined'lfac s for en a in CQPPQQ1SMBS 0 th xeqn ainers, an int rm diate membe f th a sembla e havin its widestgend hnp rmos when th assembla e ,is in position be tweengthe conta-iners,, -and a retaining band extending around the assemblage of members longitudinally thereof. a.

16 A dem hntebl spacing 1- b1 0k {for spaci art cles or containers in .a carrier comprising'an STANLEYPBICE- 

